Tariff Relief, Resources & Information for King Businesses
Resources & Support | As of September 8, 2026
This is a short list of programs that reduce the cost of U.S. tariffs on your business. It covers relief only. Broader business supports, market intelligence and industry news are available through the links at the end.
Nine programs are listed. Three are open to any King business regardless of size. Six carry eligibility conditions that will exclude many small operators.
WHAT CHANGED THIS WEEK
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At a Glance
Program | Type of Relief | Who Qualifies |
Tariff Remission & Duty Relief | Money back | Anyone importing |
CUSMA Origin Compliance | Cost avoided | Anyone importing |
Workforce Retention & Retraining | Payroll preserved | Any employer |
CanExport SMEs | Grant to $50K | 3+ FTEs, $300K+ revenue (intake closed) |
BDC Pivot to Grow Loan | Loan, $250K–$5M | $1M+ revenue, 3 years |
Regional Tariff Response Initiative | Grant to $3M | $1M+ revenue, 5+ FTEs, 3+ years |
EDC Trade Impact Program | Insurance, working capital | Exporters and their suppliers |
Ontario Together Trade Fund | 75% of costs, max $5M | $200K+ project investment |
Protect Ontario Financing Program | Loan to $40M | $2M+ revenue, 10 employees |
If you have fewer than three employees, or under $1 million in revenue, or have been operating less than three years, start and finish with Part 1. Almost none of Part 2 will be open to you.
Part 1: Relief You Can Use Today
NO REVENUE FLOOR · NO EMPLOYEE MINIMUM · NO OPERATING HISTORY REQUIRED
The following three resources reduce tariff pressure directly and are open to every King business.
1.) Tariff Remission & Duty Relief (CBSA)
Request remission of tariffs | Canada Border Services Agency | CBSA Border Information Service: 1-800-461-9999
Relief: Money back, or cost avoided at the border. No eligibility test, no deadline to apply, no size threshold.
There are three separate tools here and it is worth knowing which one applies to you. All are filed through the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) client portal.
Duty Drawback Program. A refund of duties already paid on imported goods that are later exported, or used as inputs in goods you export. File Form K32. Drawback remains available to importers affected by the U.S. Section 338 tariffs.
Duties Relief Program. Relief granted up front, before duties are paid, rather than refunded afterward. File Form K90. Goods generally must be exported within four years.
Remission Orders. Targeted relief for specific surtaxes, such as the United States Surtax Remission Order covering steel, aluminum and motor-vehicle-related goods. Usually tied to an eligible end use: manufacturing, food and beverage packaging, agricultural production, or public health and safety. Claims must generally be filed within two years of importation.
Existing remission carries over to the new September 8 counter-tariffs. Product- and company-specific remission already granted under the United States Surtax Remission Order applies to the new measures, so steel goods eligible for relief from the 25% surtax also receive relief from the 50% rate. This carry-over remains subject to approval by the Governor in Council. Goods not already covered can still be assessed under Finance's remission framework, including cases where a production input cannot reasonably be sourced in Canada.
Claim relief at the time of entry, not afterward. Where remission applies, using the correct CBSA authorization code means the duty is never paid. Refund claims filed after the fact take several months to process. Call your customs broker this week.
2.) CUSMA Origin Compliance
Relief: Cost avoided, and free to fix.
The September 8 counter-tariffs apply only to goods that qualify as U.S. origin under the CUSMA marking regulations, so origin documentation decides whether you pay at all. On Canadian counter-tariffs more broadly, CUSMA compliance is the difference between 0% and 35% for most goods. Get written origin certifications from your U.S. suppliers and keep them on file. It costs nothing and it is the largest single lever available to most small importers.
Two points on the new measures. The counter-tariffs are not intended to stack on top of existing ones. In sectors such as steel and aluminum the existing 25% rate rises to 50% rather than adding to it. No new counter-tariffs were applied to vehicles, though trailers and semi-trailers are captured, and aircraft, engines and parts were excluded.
One caveat on the export side. The U.S. Section 338 tariffs imposed in August 2026 apply to a broad range of Canadian goods, including goods that comply with CUSMA. Compliance protects you on imports. It does not shield your U.S. bound exports from Section 232 or Section 338 measures.
3.) Workforce Retention and Retraining Program (WRRP)
Relief: Payroll preserved. Requires employees, but no revenue or size test.
This replaces the separate EI Work-Sharing program and Worker Retention Grant with a single offering. Employees agree to work temporarily reduced hours, with training taking place in their non-working hours. Participating EI-eligible workers receive support totalling 70% of their lost earnings for time not worked, compared with the 55% of insurable earnings paid under standard EI. Employers receive up to $1,000 per participating employee toward training costs, and arrange schedule reductions through Service Canada.
The program is being delivered in collaboration with the regional development agencies so that smaller employers can access it quickly. Work-Sharing applications roughly doubled in 2025, with about 80% citing tariffs.
If you are contemplating layoffs, look at this first.
CRITICAL ALERT — IF YOU SHIP TO U.S. CUSTOMERS The U.S. de minimis exemption is gone. This already happened and it is easy to miss. Effective August 29, 2025, the United States eliminated duty-free treatment for low-value shipments. Previously any shipment under US$800 could enter with minimal paperwork. That exemption is now gone for every country of origin, was made indefinite by regulation in mid-2026, and there is no dollar threshold below which a shipment is exempt today. For King businesses selling direct to U.S. customers, whether through e-commerce, an Etsy or Shopify storefront, or small parcel exports:
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has been pressing the federal government on whether businesses hurt by the de minimis change qualify for Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) support. Early indications are that they may, but this is not yet confirmed. Worth asking when you apply. |
Part 2: Relief With Eligibility Requirements
REAL MONEY · BUT CHECK THE THRESHOLDS BEFORE YOU INVEST TIME
The following six programs deliver substantial relief. Each carries conditions and eligibility requirements that will exclude many King Township businesses, particularly startups and operators under three employees.
CanExport SMEs
The lowest employee threshold of any grant in this guide. Non-repayable funding of $10,000 to $50,000 per project at 50% cost-share, to offset the cost of pursuing new export markets: in-person trade show participation, travel to meet buyers and partners, custom market research, international IP protection, foreign certifications, and adapting marketing materials for a new market.
Eligibility: for-profit, incorporated in Canada, 3 to 500 full-time employees and $300,000 to $100 million in annual Canadian revenue. Part-time staff can be combined toward the employee count, so six part-time employees satisfy the three-employee minimum. All staff must be based in Canada. You may target the U.S. or other international markets but not both, and non-U.S. markets are prioritized.
Intake status: the 2026 - 2027 window closed at noon ET on August 31, 2026. Global Affairs has said information on future intake periods will be posted on the program page when available. Last year's window opened in early February, so it is worth watching from January and preparing in advance.
Pre-revenue or under $300,000? Look at CanExport Innovation instead. It has no minimum revenue requirement and is open to pre-revenue companies, offering up to $75,000 at 75% cost-share for R&D collaborations with foreign partners. Intakes run quarterly, and the September 2026 round gives priority to defence and dual-use technologies, with secondary priority for Indo-Pacific partnerships. Sole proprietorships are not eligible.
BDC Pivot to Grow Loan
Financing from $250,000 up to $5 million, interest-only for up to 36 months, for tariff-related cash-flow pressure or for investments in equipment, productivity, supply-chain adaptation and market diversification. A second $500 million liquidity stream was added on August 25, 2026 with a simplified application process.
Eligibility: at least $1 million in annual revenue, three years in business, and historically positive cash flow. The revenue threshold came down to $1 million in August 2026.
Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)
FedDev Ontario - apply as a business | 1-866-593-5505
The main SME grant, and the anchor program for any established business with a real tariff response to fund. The expanded version opened for applications on September 8, 2026 with an additional $1.5 billion nationally. Through FedDev Ontario the structure is non-repayable contributions of $125,000 to $1 million covering up to 50% of eligible costs, or repayable contributions of $125,000 to $10 million covering up to 75%. The enhanced national cap on non-repayable support is $3 million, and demonstrated liquidity need is now an eligible use, up to $2 million.
Eligibility: for-profit, southern Ontario, incorporated 3+ years, 5+ full-time-equivalent employees (under 500 total), viable before tariffs were imposed, and at least $1 million in annual revenue. Note the $125,000 minimum request, which rules out smaller projects. Complete the free self-screening tool first. You may only have one application in with FedDev at a time.
Two new conditions arrived with the September expansion: the $1 million revenue floor, and the requirement to show the business was viable before tariffs hit. Detailed rules for the liquidity stream were published on September 8, so check the page rather than relying on earlier coverage. Costs are claimable retroactively up to 12 months before you apply, back to March 21, 2025 at the earliest, and projects must finish by March 31, 2028.
CFIB offers free help preparing an RTRI application at 1-833-568-2342 or cfib@cfib.ca, including for non-members.
EDC Trade Impact Program
edc.ca - trade support | 1-800-229-0575
Trade credit insurance, working capital guarantees, foreign exchange solutions and financing. Expanded on September 1, 2026 specifically to reach more small and medium businesses. It is open to exporters and to companies that supply exporters, which many members assume rules them out when it does not.
Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF)
ontario.ca - Ontario Together Trade Fund | ottf@ontario.ca | 416-326-8475
Covers up to 75% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $5 million for Ontario SMEs investing to diversify markets, increase production, strengthen local supply chains, reshore activities or reduce tariff exposure. Continuous intake.
Eligibility: for-profit, operating in Ontario, undertaking a project that addresses U.S. trade disruption. Businesses must invest at least $200,000 in eligible project costs and complete the project within two years.
Protect Ontario Financing Program (POFP)
The largest facility here, and the least accessible. Term loans from $250,000 up to $40 million for working capital: payroll, leases, utilities. Terms run up to six years with no prepayment penalty. It covers businesses directly exporting or participating in supply chains affected by Section 232 or Section 338 tariffs.
Eligibility: generally, at least $2 million in annual revenue, 10 full-time Ontario employees and three years of operating history.
The August 24, 2026 expansion broadened which tariffs qualify, adding Section 338 and Canadian exporters. It did not change the size thresholds, which remain in place.
Additional Resources
York Small Business Enterprise Centre Free one-on-one advisory for businesses with fewer than 10 employees and for new startups. Serves King Township directly.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) tariff helpline 1-833-568-2342 or cfib@cfib.ca, for help understanding programs and preparing applications.
Two lookups worth bookmarking
Canada Tariff Finder Look up the tariff rate on a specific product and market.
List of U.S. products subject to counter-tariffs In force since 12:01 a.m. on September 8, 2026, covering 874 tariff lines: 21 at 15%, 449 at 25% and 404 at 50%. Read it together with the applicable Schedule to the Customs Tariff, and check CBSA customs notices for administration. Goods in transit to Canada on September 8 are exempt, and the tariffs apply to physical goods only.
For broader tariff information, market intelligence and industry updates, refer to the Ontario Chamber's Navigating U.S. Tariffs page, York Region's Trade and Funding Hub and the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT)’s Tariff & Diversification Resources page.
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